The present disclosure generally relates to gloves and methods for use thereof. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to gloves having variable resistance, which are beneficial for enhancing athletic performance, muscle strength, development, flexibility, and rehabilitation, etc. of hands, including digits and related body parts (e.g., wrist, forearm).
Many activities require the exercise, use, conditioning, training, strengthening, improvement, and/or otherwise development of various muscles in the hand(s), including fingers and related body parts (e.g., wrist, forearm). A subject's hand(s) might also become injured, at which point various rehabilitative treatment methods and/or physical therapy would be warranted.
Examples of devices available for the conditioning, development and/or strength training of hand muscles and related body parts include hand exercise grippers, hand exercise squeeze balls, hand dynamometers, hand exercise webs with several holes to place fingers in, and hand exercise elastic bands.
Examples of rehabilitative treatment methods for hand and related injuries include placing an individual's hand in containers of sand or rice to gradually practice grabbing and twisting handfuls of the rice or sand. Moreover, methods available for conditioning, development and/or strength training are generally interchangeable with related methods for rehabilitative treatment.
The above-described devices and methods are limited in typically allowing for movement of one or a limited number of sections of the hand, and in only one or a limited number of directions and/or ranges of motion. For instance, squeeze balls limit a user's movement to incorporating most or all of the fingers of the hand to grip the squeeze ball, and in some instances roll the squeeze ball on a flat surface. As a result, squeeze balls do not engage a user in a number of finger articulations, such as adduction and abduction, as well as allow for movement of individual fingers at varying levels of resistance in any one of three general directions (−x, −y, and −z). Similar limitations and drawbacks exist for rubber bands, hand exercise grippers, and even for containers of rice or sand. Namely, containers of rice or sand do not provide for a controlled, variable resistance mechanism for movement of the hand in various directions, and further limit the user to remaining in a stationary position while using the container device.
Accordingly, there exists a need for devices and methods thereof for enhancing athletic performance, muscle strength, development, flexibility, and rehabilitation, etc. of hands, including fingers and related body parts, said devices having variable resistance in all available directions of motion, and said devices not limited to stationary use by the user.